Spring Creek: Julien Beaumer (KTM) claims his first US Nationals victory

Round 7 of the US Nationals in Millville (Minnesota) at Spring Creek Raceway. Pro Circuit Kawasaki factory rider Drew Adams was the fastest in qualifying, ahead of his team-mate Levi Kitchen and championship leader Cole Davies.

Combined 250cc qualifying:

1. Drew Adams (USA), Kawasaki, 1:57.950

2. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki, +0.198

3. Cole Davies (NZL), Yamaha, +1.529

4. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), Husqvarna, +1.803

5. Michael Mosiman (USA), Yamaha, +2.219

6. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM, +2.234

Two mass crashes in the first race

The first race got off to a start with two hair-raising crashes: first, Casey Cochran (Husqvarna) rolled his bike in the first corner. Then the two Star Racing Yamaha riders, Carson Wood and Cole Davies, collided at high speed, taking several other riders down with them. Carson Wood lost control of his bike, stumbled and cut across Davies’ line, causing both to go down and take further riders with them. Among those affected were title contenders Levi Kitchen (Kawasaki) and championship leader Cole Davies (Yamaha), who were able to continue the race but had fallen far behind as a result of the crash and had to mount a comeback, spurring each other on to peak performances in the process.

First career race win for Julien Beaumer

Kayden Minear (Yamaha) took the early lead ahead of Parker Ross (Yamaha) and Michael Mosiman (Husqvarna). Red Bull KTM factory rider Julien Beaumer managed to stay clear of the chaos of the first lap and started within the top six. Michael Mosiman took the lead after 10 minutes. Beaumer fought his way forward step by step and caught the leading Mosiman as the 30-minute race distance drew to a close, whilst Cole Davies was forced to retire in frustration halfway through the race due to a technical fault. In the final two laps, Beaumer launched a decisive final sprint and put Mosiman under pressure. Mosiman made a mistake by shifting into neutral, and Beaumer was able to capitalise on the situation. Beaumer secured his first race win by a narrow margin ahead of Michael Mosiman, Kayden Minear and Nate Thrasher. Levi Kitchen crossed the line in 8th place following his comeback.

Race win for Hymas

The Australian Kayden Minear took the holeshot in the second race. Michael Mosiman, who had been battling for victory in the first race, took a heavy crash, rolled over several times and was forced to retire from the race. Cole Davies also crashed several times, but somehow managed to finish the race in 13th place, deeply disappointed. Minear was pushed back to 6th place, and Levi Kitchen briefly took the lead. HRC works rider Chance Hymas, who had finished the first race in 9th place, worked his way up the field, held off Levi Kitchen and claimed the race win.

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First win of the day for Julien Beaumer

The winner of the first race, Julien Beaumer, fought his way up the field in the second race after a mediocre start, but crashed towards the end of the second race whilst battling for third place against Carson Mumford. In the end, a 1-4 result was enough to secure his first day’s victory. Race winner Chance Hymas took second place on the podium in the day’s standings.

Situation at the top of the standings

Cole Davies, who had arrived as championship leader, had a disastrous day at Millville. Following his retirement in the first race and a 13th-place finish in the second, he picked up a meagre 9 points and dropped from first to third in the championship standings, whilst Levi Kitchen managed to do more than just limit the damage after his crash in the first race. With a 8-2 result, he finished in third place on the podium, took the lead in the championship standings and now holds a 24-point lead ahead of the eighth round of the US Nationals at Washougal.

Spring Creek 250 results

1. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM, 1-4, 43 points

2. Chance Hymas (USA), Honda, 9-1, 37 (-6)

3. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki, 8-2, 35 (-8)

4. Kayden Minear (AUS), Yamaha, 3-6, 35 (-8)

5. Carson Mumford (USA), KTM, 11-3, 30 (-13)

6. Drew Adams (USA), Kawasaki, 7-7, 28 (-15)

7. Daxton Bennick (USA), Husqvarna, 5-10, 27 (-16)

8. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), Husqvarna, 6-11, 25 (-18)

9. Dilan Schwartz (USA), Yamaha, 10-8, 25 (-18)

10. Lux Turner (USA), Yamaha, 15-5, 22 (-21)

Championship standings after round 7 of 11:

1. Levi Kitchen (USA), Kawasaki, 261 points

2. Julien Beaumer (USA), KTM, 237 (-24)

3. Cole Davies (NZL), Yamaha, 236 (-25)

4. Kayden Minear (AUS), Yamaha, 199 (-62)

5. Jo Shimoda (J), Honda, 194 (-67)

6. Ryder DiFrancesco (USA), Husqvarna, 194 (-67)

7. Chance Hymas (USA), Honda, 190 (-71)

8. Carson Mumford (USA), KTM, 153 (-108)

9. Seth Hammaker (USA), Kawasaki, 134 (-127)

10. Michael Mosiman (USA), Yamaha, 122 (-139)